I've created a google map for tailgating/new visitors/visiting fans.  Please look and comment so I can improve it.  I get a lot of questions about gameday parking so please share your secret spots (if you want!) lot prices, and any mistakes so I can improve it!  If you think it sucks, your mother.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=116001587849151364244.00048ec60d59c58ddfb2f&ll=41.696452,-86.227698&spn=0.00729,0.021136&z=16

Does anyone know of a Notre Dame friendly bar in Dublin, Ireland. I will be in Dublin to watch the Notre Dame vs University of Michigan game. I am a Michigan fan but I think it would be fun to watch the game with other fans and I am not obnoxious (just don't push me too far). Any help anyone can give me would be great as I don't want to wait two weeks to watch the game. Thanks.

I googled Rakes of Mallow today and saw this

http://www.rakesofmallow.net

 

Welcome to the Rakes of Mallow.  We are the unofficial supporters group of the University of Notre Dame’s soccer teams.  We sing, chant, and cheer to help will our teams to victory.

 

The group is the embodiment of the multiple levels of soccer. We play will play it on the quads, in the fields, and on the Xbox or PS3. We will watch and support our teams play whether they be over one thousand miles away or three feet right in front of us. While our official club membership and activities are restricted to undergraduates, joining the passion and supporters at Notre Dame matches has only one requirement:

You support the Fighting Irish

Any Irish fan can remember a time, not too long ago, where the bulk of the Notre Dame community was full of both hope and horror regarding the future of the football program under new head coach Brian Kelly. While a proven winner at every step of his career,  Kelly's ability to recruit big name talent had never been tested, as the schools he had previously served were not of the caliber and prestige of a school like Notre Dame. As such, there was a common fear that the new Head Coach would be unable to bring in the kind of four and five star talent recruited by Charlie Weis. After the signing of one class and the continuing recruitment of another, have Brian Kelly's recruiting skills made a positive impression on the Notre Dame faithful thus far? More analysis after the jump.

Poll

Has Brian Kelly impressed as a top tier recruiter?

40%

Yes

160 votes

3%

No

14 votes

56%

It's Still too Early to Tell

222 votes

396 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

FSU had offered him but it was not likely commitable.  Good player.  Here's what we had on him

 

 

Clay Burton

Venice HS (Venice, FL)

6"4" 235

High 3*/ Low 4*

FSU, LSU, Gtech, Clem

Clay is the brother of 2010 QB prospect Trey Burton who signed with the Florida Gators, but claims he is open. He already has good size, and uses it to his advantage. He appears to be pretty strong. While he is a decent athlete he doesn’t have great speed or quickness. He moves side to side pretty well and displays good range. Stays with the play from the backside often, and shows good technique in both the run and pass (Venice’s line is always coached well). He could work on his short range explosion/ 1st step. Burton isn't likely to be a superstar but is a good strongside prospect. He also plays tight end for Venice. Some think he may end up at that position in college. 3.8 GPA.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzVuKRBPTm4  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGlV8QCMO3U  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFmCzLh4kgI 

Is it time for Mike Brey and the Irish to part ways? I hate to say this but I think it is time for him to leave as head coach of the basketball team. The team has not lived up to the expections that they had going into the 2009-2010 season. The team's bench has been a absolute diaster up to this point. Now dont get me wrong, Harangody has played expectional in his senior season but Tory Jackson has been run down due to the high amount minutes he has played throughout the season and Ben Hansbrough has not lived up to his hype he had coming into as a transfer from Mississippi State. I understand that Scott Marrtin went down early in the year with a knee injury and Brey was hoping for him to contribute, but that still doesnt add up to victories in the Big East now they should beat Rutgers on the 30th. I understand it is very tough to get the kind of recuits that you might get at a Kansas or a North Carolina due to the high academic standards Notre Dame has so in that regard i give Brey credit on doing a good job of recuiting players that are not the typically "one and done". bif you look at his last two NCAA tournament apperances-2007 first round and 2008-second round but lets not forget in 2009 they made it to the NIT Final four. Do Irish fans really want to struggle to get into the NCAA tournament every year or not make it and have to play in the NIT, in my opinion i dont think Brey is the answer anymore as the head coach of this team after this season if they dont make the tournament.

Martin, a top rated DE/OLB has committed to Cal. Martin had given ND a verbal commit back in the fall, but de-committed shortly after Weis's firing. In reality, he has been an increasingly soft-commit to to ND as the season progressed. He grew up near the Cal campus and had attended Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd HS before re-locating to Colorado for his senior year. He has been rated as high as the #2 DE/OLB.

Guys-

I thought it would be interesting to poll various SBNation blogs to see who would they think is the 2000's "most outstanding player"

Like the Heisman is actually voted for, I was wondering if you would give a first, second, and third place vote.

Also: I know this is an annoying rule but in order to maintain the integrity of the process I'd like to ask that you don't vote for players from your own team. If you could, Florida fans would all vote Tebow, Texas Fans would all vote Young, and USC fans would give each of their first place votes to their three winners, and the vote would be insanely split up.

I'll close voting one hour before the ceremony, which is at 8 pm EST and 5 PM PST.

Thanks.

A player doesn't have to win the Heisman to be eligible.

 

Don't cry for Weis, South Bend. 

Although Weis won't have many, if any, head coaching opportunities, he'll have a few NFL offensive coordinator opportunities.  The Cleveland Browns is a good fit, for example.

Now, what about the next coach for Notre Dame?  Some of the wish-list coaches have already declined (Meyer and Stoops). 

Barring securing a wish-list coach, Notre Dame will be served best by a coach 1) hailing from a non-BCS program, particularly one that has had to overcome limited recruiting options, poor conference prestige, and lack of resources (facilities and/or financial), 2) who has excelled despite said challenges, and 3) who delivers a balanced offensive attack with a very strong defense (defense wins championships).

Using this framework, here is a good example:

 

Texas Christian University (TCU)'s Gary Patterson | 1998-present; Fort Worth, TX

• 2009: 12-0; Outscored opponents 49-15 on average per game

• Arrived after 1997 season when TCU was 1-10

• Defense (6th in nation)

• Offense (4th in nation; balanced run/pass attack)

• Recruiting (has to compete with regional powerhouses Texas, Oklahoma and most big schools in SEC and Southwest US.  Interpretation: Patterson wins despite getting athletes that were not recruited by aforementioned schools).

 

Now, let's extend this framework further, to other college divisions. 

After all, one does not find diamonds-in-the-rough by staying on the well-worn path. The Ohio State University didn't attempt to find its wish-list coach by pursuing successful coaches at Division I schools; those were its backups.  OSU evaluated several Division II and Division III coaches, and wooed Jim Tressel, who was head coach at Division II Youngstown State University (Ohio).

Notre Dame will wake up the echoes by seeking diamonds-in-the-rough.  Moreover, the state of Ohio has been an unparalleled hot-bed of coaching talent, particularly within the lower division colleges, and, yes, high schools (Ara Parseghian, Lou Holtz, Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, John Harbaugh, Les Miles, Bo Pelini and Jim Tressel were all diamonds-in-the-Ohio-rough, just to name a few). 

So, the key is identifying the statistical anomaly indicating coaching genius that transcends divisions.  It's picking the proverbial government file clerk to be one's lead physicist, before everyone and his brother want said physicist at their university.

Here is an example:

 

Mount Union College's Larry Kehres | 1986-present; Alliance, Ohio

 

• 2009 (will compete for national championship, again) 12-0. Outscored opponents 50-8 on average per game

• Coached 23 seasons: 275-21-3, .929

• Since 1993, won 10 Division III national championships

• 1994-2005, won 110 consecutive regular season games

• Prior to Kehres taking over head coaching position, Mt. Union was a historically average (.500) team

 

My guess is Notre Dame will pursue a "safe" choice, like a Davie, Weis or Willingham.  I hope that is not the case, Dear Loyal Irish Fans. 

I hope athletic director Jack Swarbrick can awaken the echoes of his Notre Dame undergraduate degree and channel the entrepreneurial decision-making of his Stanford University Law School degree to identify and woo a proven leader and winner, a Diamond-in-the-Rough.

So Im probably not allowed to do this, but I  copied and pasted this from ESPN Insider for those who dont have it.

So last week Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops called "ridiculous" rumors that he had told confidants he was interested in the Notre Dame job. But a source tells Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune that that won't deter Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick. The source says that Stoops is at the top of Swarbrick's wish list for the next Notre Dame coach.

Hansen alluded the other day to the Irish's next coach perhaps having a defensive background, which would seem to eliminate Cincinnati's Brian Kelly. Today he gives "a snapshot of what the top of the list could look like on Black Friday." Stoops is in the catbird's seat, followed by Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp (whom Hansen first mentioned, seemingly in passing, on Wednesday), TCU coach Gary Patterson and Kelly.

Stoops has one of the plum jobs in college football but is an Ohio native and may be ready for a new challenge after 11 seasons in Norman. Muschamp is head-coach-in-waiting behind Mack Brown, but Brown is only 58 and may not retire for five or more years. His defensive turnarounds at LSU, Auburn and Texas have been impressive, but he's only 38 and has never been a head coach. Patterson would have to step into a spotlight he's not used to, but his stock may never be higher. Kelly seems to have it all, save his offensive background, but also would have to leave behind a small fiefdom of his creation.

Will one of these four men succeed Charlie Weis? Hansen writes that beyond Stoops, "the list would seem mutable as the candidates are weighed, analyzed and vetted," so ultimately these four may not even all get interviews.